Street-sweeper.



No. 689,936. Patented Dec. 3|, l90l. A. WENDER.

STREET SWEEPEB.

(Application filed Apr. 24, 1899. Renewed June 3, 1901.)

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smear SWEEPER.

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No. 689,936. Patenied Dac. 3|, I901. A. WENDER.

STREET SWEEPER.

(Application filed Apr. 24, 1899. Renewed June 3. 1901.)

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(No Model.)

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No. 689,936. Patented Dec. 3|, I90l. A. WENDER.

STREET SWEEPER.

(Application filed Apr 24, 1899. Renewed June 3, 1901.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

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UNTTED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED IVENDER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO ALBERT HENRY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

STREET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 689,936, dated December 31, 1901. Application filed April 24,1899. Renewed June 3. 1901- Serial No. 62,936. (No model.)

[0 ct whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ALFRED WENDER, of the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Sweepers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to street-sweepers; and it consists of the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved sweeper. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken approximately on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the sweeper. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken approxi mately on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view of one of the ratchets such as is made use of upon the traction-wheels of the sweeper, said view being taken approximately on the indicated line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a detail elevation of ahandle-bar used for elevating and lowering the brush of the sweeper and also showing a latch for holding the dumping mechanism in a locked position. Fig. 9 is an enlarged end elevation of the brush. Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 10 10 of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a spring-actuated pinion that is driven by a large gear-wheel carried by the axle of the sweeper. Fig. 12 isa side elevation of this pinion and the means employed to throw the same in and out of gear with the large gear-wheel. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of one of the vertically-moving bearing-blocks in which the shaft of the brush rotates.

In the construction of the sweeper, as shown, I make use of a rectangular body 1, preferably of sheet metal, through the front portion of which body passes an axle 2, upon the ends of which are arranged tractionwheels 3. Upon the exterior of the front of the body 1 are arranged vertically-alined bearings, in which operates the vertical shaft of thecastenwheeld. Extendinglongitudinally across the bottom of the body 1 is an inverted- U-shaped bar 5, to the lower ends of which are hinged the edges of a pair of drop-doors 6. A pair of doors 7 are hinged to the top of the body 1, said doors closingopenings formed in said top.

The upper portion of the body or receptacle 1 extends outwardly over the tractionwheels 3, as indicated by 7,'and extending at an angle downwardly from the rear portion of these extensions and to the rear of the traction-wheels 3 is the open-topped chute 8. The bottom 9 of the chute connects with an inclined wall 10, the same extending forwardly and downwardly and joining with the front wall of the body or receptacle 1 at a point just above the axle 2. Fixed upon the axle 2, just outside the body 1, are the sleeves 11, integral with the outer ends of which are formed the ratchet-wheels 12. Spring-actuated pawls 13 are carried by the hubs of the traction-wheels 3, the points of which pawls engage the teeth of said ratchet-wheels. By this construction the axle 2 rotates with the traction-wheels when the sweeper is moving forwardly; but in moving said sweeper rearwardly said traction-wheels will rotate and the axle will remain stationary. Integral with one of the sleeves 11 is the large driving gear-wheel 145.

Passing transversely through the center of the body 1 is a shaft 15, and upon the end of said shaft that projects through the side of said body on which the driving gear-wheel 14: is located is arranged a pinion 16, which pinion rotates with the shaft 15 and also slides laterally on the projecting end thereof. Formed integral with the inside face of said pinion 16 is a collar 17, in which is formed a peripheral groove, and a small expansive coilspring 18 is interposed between said collar and the side wall of the body 1. This pinion 16 is in such a position that when it is moved forwardly toward the side wall of the body 1 it will mesh with the driving gear-wheel 14; but normally the coilspring 18 holds said pin ion out of gear. Arranged upon this side of the body 1 a short distance in front of the shaft 15 is a pair of vertically-alined bearings 19, in which operates the lower vertical portion of a crank-shaped lever 20, the upper end fromthatportion of the rodthat operates in the bearings 19 is an arm 23, the rear end thereof being bifurcated and engaging in the groove in the collar 17. This mechanism just de scribed is made use of for throwing the pinion 16 into engagement with the driving gearwheel 14, as when the crank-lever 20 is actuated the arm 23 will move the pinion 16 laterally upon the shaft 15, and in so doing the coil-spring 18 will be compressed and said 'pinion will mesh with the driving gear-wheel.

Upon the end of the shaft 15 opposite from the end which carries the pinion 16 is mounted a sprocket-wheel 24.

Arranged on the top and the right-hand portion of the front edge of the body 1 is a pair of horizontally-alined bearings 25, in which operates a shaft 26, the same extending laterally beyond the extending portion 7 of said top, and carried by said shaft 26 are sprocketwheels 27 and 28, and passing around the sprocket-wheel 27 and the sprocket-wheel 24, previously mentioned,isthe sprocket-chain-29.

Extending rearwardly from the rear ends of the extending portions 7 are the side bars 29", between the rear ends of which is framed a transverse bar 30, and between the extreme rear ends of said bars 29 is arranged the bandle-bar 31. Depending from the ends of the cross-bar 30 are thevertically-arranged posts 32, the lower ends of which are slotted, as in dicated by 33, and extending from said posts 32 to the lower portion of the chute 8 are the braces 34. Passing transversely through the lower portion of the chute 8 is a shaft 35, upon the ends of which, just inside the side walls of said chute 8, are fixed sprocket-wheels 36, and passing transversely-through the front portion .of the widened portion 7 of the body 1 is a shaft 37, upon the ends of which, just inside the side walls, are arranged the sprocketwheels 38, and passing around said sprocketwheels 36 and 38 are the sprocket-chains 39, the same being connected at intervals by the transverse bars or slats 40, the outer edges of which engage against the under side of the chute when the sprocket-wheels are rotated "to operate said chains. Thus an endless carrier is provided which carries the material placed in the lower portion of the chute 8 upwardly and delivers the same upwardly over the forward end 10 of the box or receptacle. The right-hand end of the shaft 37 is extended outwardly through the side wall of the body 1, and a small sprocket-wheel 41 is positioned upon said extended end.

Rotatably arranged in suitable bearings fixed to the under side of the bars 29, justin front of the cross-bar 30, is a shaft 42, upon the right-hand end of which is fixed a sprocketwheel 43, and passing over the sprocketwheels 28, 41, and 43 is a sprocket-chain 44.

Carried by the center of the shaft 42 is a sprocket-wheel 45.

Arranged for vertical movement in the slots 33 in the lower ends of the posts 32 are the rectangular blocks 46, (see Fig. 13,) the top sides of which blocks are providedwith loops 47, and rotatably carried by said blocks 46 is a shaft 48. Upon the center of this shaft 48 is fixed a sprocket wheel 49, and passing around the sprocket-wheels 42 and 49 is the sprocket-chain 50. Arranged upon the shaft 48, on each side of the sprocket-wheel 49, are the rotary brushes 51 of which I make use, said rotary brushes being illustrated in detail in Figs. 9 and 10, and said brushes comprise a plurality of longitudinally-extending bars 52, the ends of which are seated upon disks 52, which arecarried by the shaft 48. These bars 52 are arranged in planes tangent to the periphery of the disks 52 and each of said bars 52 carries a continuous row of switches 53. The said bars are arranged upon the said disks in such manner that the forward side of each rests upon the rear side of the preceding one, and the switches are carried at right angles to the bars. By this arrangement the switches are made to strike the ground at more of a slant than do the switches in brushes of the ordinary construction, and this arrangement has been found to meet with less resistance in operation than do brushes in which the switches strike the ground :perpendicularly. By my improved construction but a single row of switches are in contact with the ground at once, and therefore said brush will operate very easily while at work. When the brush is lowered onto the ground, the switches assume the positions shown by dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 9.

Hinged to the lower front edge of the boot of the chute 8 is a'receiving-pan '54, the lower edge of which rides directly upon the ground at a point immediately in front of the rotary brushes 51, and connecting the sides of said pan 54 with the blocks 46 are the jointed bars 55.

Carried by the top side of the cross-bar 30 are a pair of alined bearings 56, in which is rotatably arranged a rod 57, the ends ofwhich are formed into the cranks 58, and connected to said cranks 58 are the upper ends of vertically-arranged rods 59, the lower ends of which engage in the loops 47 of the blocks 46. Rigidly carried by this rod 57 to one side of the center is a rearwardly and upwardly pro jecting operating-handle 60, and arranged upon the top of the handle-bar 31 immediately beneath where this handle 60 will engage is arranged a swinging hook 61. Ar-

ranged upon the center of the cross-bar 30 is a plate 62, in which is formed a vertical notch 63, and a hook 64 is pivoted to said plate 62 and arranged to swing over the notch 63.

Rotatably arranged in the top of the body 1 are a pair of grooved pulleys 65, over which passes a cord or cable 66, the same extending esaeee downwardlyinto the body 1 and joining with the upper ends of cords or cables 67, which are secured to the tops of the dumping-doors 6, that normally close the bottom of said body or receptacle 1. The rear end of this cord or cable 66 passes through the notch 63, and it is provided with a handle 68 upon its rear end. The upper end of the rod orspindle that carries the caster -1- is provided with a crank 69, which is engaged by the slotted forward end of an operating-handle 70, the same being fulcrumed upon the top of the body 1, the rear end of said handle terminating ata point above the handle-bar 31.

The operation is as follows: When it is desired to bring the sweeper into use,the operator engages the handle 68 of the cord or cable 66, pulls the same rearwardly until the doors 6 close the bottom of the body 1, and the hook 6t is then engaged downwardly over the notch 63, through which the cord or cable passes,to hold said cord or cable, after which the handle 60 is disengaged from the swinging hook 61 to allow the brushes 51 to ride directly upon the surface of the street or the ground to be swept. The operator now engages the handle 22 and pulls the rod 21 rearwardly, and in so doing the crank-lever 20 is actuated so that the arm 23, carried thereby, causes the pinion 16 to move inwardly upon the shaft 15 until it is in mesh with the driving gear-wheel 14. Said handle 22 is now engaged over the pin upon the handle-bar 31 that is adjacent the hook 61, and the entire sweeper is pushed forward by the operator, his hands being engaged upon the handle-bar 31. The direction in which said sweeper is moved is very easily regulated by manipulating the handle 70, which operates the casterwheel at the front end of the machine. As the traction -wheels 3 pass over the street or ground to be swept the pawls 13, carried by the hubs of said wheels, will engage in certain of the notches of the ratchet-wheel 12, and as said ratchet-wheels 12 are fixed upon the shaft 2 said shaft 2 will be rotated, and consequently the driving gear-wheel 14 willbe rotated, and the rotary motion thus obtained will be imparted to the shaft 15, for the reason that said drivinggear-wheel meshes with the pinion 16. The rotary motion of the shaft 15 is transmitted to the shafts 26, 37, 35, 42, and 48 through the medium of the sprocket-chain 29, sprocket-wheels 27 and 28, sprocket-chain 4%,sprocket-wh eel 41,sprocketwheels 36 and 38,sprocket-chains 39,sprocketwheels 43 and 45, and sprocket-chain 50. As

the shaft 48 is rotated the brushes 51, carried thereby, will necessarily be rotated, and the dirt from the street or ground that is being swept will be thrown by the rapidly-rotatingbrushes onto the pan 54 and from thence will pass into the boot of the chute 8. From thence the dirt and sweepings will be carried upwardly over the inclined plate 9 by the endless carrier comprising the sprocket-chains 39 and bars 40, and finally the dirt and sweep ings will pass into the body 1 and over the inclined forward end lOthereof, said dirt and sweepings finally passing onto the dump-doors 6 on each side of the inverted-U-shaped bar 5 in the bottom of said body 1. At certain intervals during the travel of the sweeper or whenever it is desired the operator can raise the hook Get from the cable 66, that passes through the notch 63, and allow said cable to move forwardly, and in so doing the dumpdoors 6 are allowed to drop to discharge the load of dirt and sweepings that has accumulated within the body of the sweeper, and a rearward movement of the cord or cable will of course close said doors and the sweeper can be moved forwardly again.

To throw the sweeper out of operation, the operator disengages the handle 22 from the pin on the handle-bar 31 and allows the rod 21 to move rearwardly, which action causes the crank-lever 20 to operate, and the power that has been stored in the coil-spring 18 will move the pinion 16 out of mesh with the driving gear-wheel 14:, after which the operator engages the hand-lever 60, depresses the same, and engages its rear end beneath the swinging hook 61. This movement elevates the blocks 46 in the slots 33, and consequently elevates the brush-carrying shaft 4.8.

A sweeper of my improved construction is specially applicable for use in cities having paved streets, and said sweepers may be very economically operated, inasmuch as no draftanimals are required to move said sweeper, and a single operator with one of the sweepers can cover a large amount of territory and can operate said sweeper in narrow alleys and and at points where a large sweeper could not be operated I claim- In a street-sweeper, a shaft 48, disks 52'" keyed upon said shaft, bars 52 arranged tangentially upon said disks, the forward side of each of said bars resting upon the preceding bar, and a continuous row of switches carried by each of said bars at right angles thereto, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED WENDER.

Witnesses:

EDWARD E. LONGAN, ALBERT J. MOOAULEY. 

